


Roll With The Punches

by CaptainJimothyCarter



Series: Tumblr Prompt Fics [9]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Accidental Time Travel, Bucky lives with Peggy and Steve now?, Drabble, F/M, Is he dating them? Is he married? Does he ever go home?, Or does he just have an obsession with their garden?, Or more comforting ending, Post Tony's death, Scared Peter, Steggy - Freeform, These questions haunt Peter, Time Travel, a different au, but happy ending, peter is not okay, post Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:53:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26783959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainJimothyCarter/pseuds/CaptainJimothyCarter
Summary: Prompt: Peter Parker mourning Tony is going through his things and accidentally transports himself back in time. But he also just so happens to bump into Steve...whose now married to PeggyPeter finds himself in a new time and place, but luckily he spots a familiar face amongst a sea of strangers. It's one of the last faces he expects to ever see - Steve Rogers.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers
Series: Tumblr Prompt Fics [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1952281
Comments: 6
Kudos: 86





	Roll With The Punches

Where was he? Or when was he should be the question, Peter supposed. He didn’t know _what_ happened. Pepper had asked him if he wanted to go through some of Mr. Stark’s things to keep and Peter had agreed. That’s what he’d been doing when his hand had touched a strange device and it vibrated to life, latching around his wrist. It refused to let go no matter how much he had tugged it. He’d just been about to scream for help when his voice was ripped from him and Peter found himself. Here.

Where was here?

He stuck out like a sore thumb in his jeans and hoodie, but luckily no one looked at him too much in this alleyway.

The air quality was cleaner, almost. And there were people in suits, hundreds crowded on the street. He watched a woman wearing a red hat, the color sticking out amongst the sea of dark-colored suits. His best guess? Back in time or another reality. A newspaper he’d passed said _June 1951._

The year sent a shiver down his spine. He was back in time. Holy shit. He time traveled. Now, how the hell was he to get back?

The weird watch around his wrist lit up white and Peter bit his lip, figuring no harm could be done before hitting it. He found his outfit changed to something of a suit. It felt stiff and rigid and itchy but it was a good cover.

Right, time to figure out where the hell he was.

It wasn’t like Peter was following the woman in the red hat. They were just going to the same place. She looked vaguely familiar like he’s seen her face somewhere. An article, a textbook. A photo. Maybe she was some scientist or someone who shaped history. He couldn’t place it.

When she turned to go into a diner, Peter’s stomach grumbled. He’d forgotten to eat this morning, too caught up in his mind to focus. His eyes followed her as she watched her bend down to kiss a man dressed in a green button-up. She smiled brightly at him and Peter saw the ring on her finger. He laughed at something she said and cupped her face lovingly. Normally PDA made him sick but something about this…softness made his heartache.

Maybe it was a look in their eyes that told the young teenager that these two had suffered so much and were lucky to be together. Maybe he was a soldier in the war.

Peter sighed and figured he needed to go elsewhere, maybe a library, maybe…somewhere with a lab. That would be a hard thing to find. He had to figure out about this thing on his wrist. He turned but something told him not to. Told him to turn back. He’d heard the front door open but hadn’t looked. He was still hidden in the alley.

The last he expected was to turn around and find himself face-to-face with Captain America. Steve. Steve Rogers in the flesh.

He’d known Steve had gone back in time, Bucky had told him.

He didn’t know if he should laugh or cry when Steve smiled at him and enveloped the scared teenager in his arms.

“Hey, hey,” he breathed as Peter hugged him tightly, a little too tight given Steve’s hitched breath. He combed his fingers through his hair. “Peter, what are you doing here? Did someone send you?”

There it was. The question made Peter breakdown even worse and through a terrible amount of tears and sobs, he managed to tell Steve everything. About how he was in Tony’s things, how this stupid bracelet wrapped around him, how he couldn’t get back. How he was scared. And his stomach growling just made it worse.

“Come on,” Steve sighed, shaking his head. “No use thinking on an empty stomach. Just keep your head down, if anyone asks you’re my nephew. Pegs and I will take you home to figure this out, okay? I’ll answer your questions later.”

Knowing Peter, there were questions.

Peggy raised an eyebrow when Steve brought Peter back inside and let him sit beside him. Steve ordered a large breakfast platter for the boy, looking back at Peggy’s poised face. Peter was trying not to stare too much.

“You’re Director Carter,” he whispered in awe. That caused Peggy to smile. “I-I read about you! In textbooks and did projects about you! The stuff-“

He stopped when Steve cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at him. Peter looked a bit sheepish and shrugged.

“Sorry…”

“it’s perfectly alright, Peter,” Peggy mused, patting the boy’s hand. “Steve has explained some things to me but nothing about another visitor. I suppose its another mystery to figure out. I’ll call into work, I can do it from home. You two can’t be left alone to this.”

No one questioned Peter or his huge appetite. Or why Steve was holding him close to his side as they got a cab home rather than risked walking.

Peter was confused about seeing Bucky at the Rogers-Carter home. He was in the back, tending to the garden, his left sleeve tied into a knot. “I rescued him,” Steve explained, earning a slap to his shoulder from Peggy. “We rescued him, I wasn’t cutting you out, Pegs, geez.”

He sat Peter down and got him some water, sitting across from him with Peggy beside him. Bucky had come in and looked startled at the young boy. “Did…you two…adopt while I was gone? I thought you were just meeting for breakfast? Why aren’t you at work?”

“Anyone tell you that you’re too nosy?” Peggy teased, leaning back into her seat, the phone cradled in her ear as she dialed a number. “Steve, it seems found a friend from his…future. We’re trying to figure out the rest. I’m working now, excuse me.”

While Peggy spoke to someone named Phillips and Devin on the phone, Peter looked around the home. It was warm. Homey. Loving. Filled with bits of life. A total difference from the one time he’s been in Steve’s apartment. There was evidence of these two lives together from photos to trinkets, to Steve’s jacket over the back of the couch, Peggy’s heels on the floor. He couldn’t decide if Bucky lived here or not. The man looked different. Happier. Much happier. Even if he was confused at the concept of Peter. Fuck, he was confused too.

“You two married?” The question came out in almost awe to Steve. He looked excitably happy at the rings. Peggy, for her sake, covered the receiver end to just laugh.

“We did,” Steve mused, giving a smile. “Maybe not the most…safest of weddings but it was one fitting for us.”

Peter wanted to question more but couldn’t. Not when Peggy was done with the phone call and Bucky was sitting in the recliner. They asked what happened again. And Peter told them everything, showing them the watch that wouldn’t come off.

Odd. It didn’t look like what they’d use to time travel earlier. Peter even knew that. It was something much older, making Steve wonder if Tony had fucked around with the idea of time travel beforehand. Maybe. He wouldn’t put it past him.

“We have to call Howard,” Peggy sighed. “The last I want this man to do is know about time travel but we have no choice. It looks like his work, not the work of your friend, Steve.”

Peter’s eyes lit up. Howard Stark? As in Tony’s father? The inventor and father of so many branches of science? Steve just laughed at how giddy the boy was. Like father, like son.

Howard didn’t exactly buy the nephew story Steve tried to give him. He was a terrible liar. Plus, Peter looked nothing like him. In the end, they told Howard _everything_ from Steve’s time travel to Peter’s. Even Peter learned some new things he didn’t know before the situation.

The man just sat back in his chair, rubbing at his jawline. His eyes falling to the boy’s wrist. “Right. We’ll talk about that later, Stevie but for now, let’s help your friend out. Pegs, for now, I suggest you return to work like normal after tomorrow. Can’t let anyone know somethings wrong. Peter, was it? You’ll need to stay inside but it's fine. The house is secure and Steve and Buck can stay with you. Just don’t let them corrupt you.”

Bucky’s yelling could be heard from where he was taking a shower, Howard smirking as he bent back over Peter’s wrist.

There was something catatonic about working with Howard Stark. Howard didn’t know about Tony whatsoever and Steve never told him and warned Peter not to tell the man. Peter didn’t know much about Tony and Howard’s relationship but he could guess it wasn’t the healthiest by how Tony sometimes spoke of him. Like he was annoyed Peter worshipped him. He got the feeling that Steve was going to change that by how he’d look when they spoke.

Steve had changed lots. He was a married man but he was still Captain America. He told Peter that he was Grant Rogers in public and yes, it weirdly worked because people didn’t pay attention. The beard sometimes helped. He loved Peggy with all his heart and Peter saw how devoted he was to her and his best friend. They had a system.

Every morning Steve would wake up first and work out in the garage, sometimes jogging around the neighborhood. Sometimes Bucky joined. Peggy never did, she was not a morning person. Steve would make her coffee and breakfast unless it was a Tuesday and Thursday because then she met someone named Angie at the diner. For lunch, Steve would fix her something at the house and bring it to her. The rest of the day was spent fixing things around the house. He told Peter he bought it as a fixer-upper to give himself something to do in between Shield's work. He worked at Shield as strategic. He admitted he couldn’t go back to being Cap and Peter saw just how _tired_ he was. The same tired he saw on Tony’s eyes when he passed.

Their routine worked around Peter. He got to join Steve in making dinner or lunch, learning how to cook on old technology, or just cook in general. He talked to Steve about everything, from Ned to MJ to school and how he missed them and he wondered if they knew he was gone. He got to help Bucky in the garden lots. He said gardening helped him out lots, to keep calm. He even met Bucky’s sister and her kids when they’d come over for Sunday dinner.

He got to watch Peggy and Steve work together as a couple, dancing in the evenings when Peter would read by the light. He’d watch them spar when neither could sleep, listen through the wall about nightmares and talking about their day, and how the war still haunted them, mistakes made, and decisions they wished they could change. Most of all he listened to how they loved one another. Yes, they bickered sometimes, especially if Peggy was exhausted, Steve was….a safe place and sometimes that came out as she could snap and get upset. The same went for Steve with Peggy but in the end, they’d always worked it out. Most of all, he got to watch them be Director Carter and Agent Rogers. Steve had started to work from home to take care of Peter and watch over Howard while he worked on the device.

Steve got a call from Peggy one evening when she was an hour overdue for dinner and mentioned an 084 in Florida. Steve was on the phone at once, calling in agents, and going through plans. Peter got to help by bringing him the paperwork, setting up another phone line with Bucky’s help [he guessed the man lived here now?] so Peggy could talk to Steve privately. This 084 situation lasted well over three hours before Peggy came home at 3 am and found Peter asleep Steve’s chest, the blonde still holding the phone, an arm curled protectively around Peter.

Yes, she took a photo.

The device took well over three months to figure out what exactly it was and how to reverse the effects of time travel. Howard went into some detailed explanation that only Peter seemed to understand because Steve just looked as confused. They had one more night together, one last dinner, and Peter thanking the Rogers-Carter family for everything.

“I’ll tell them you’re okay,” Peter said once they were outside in the beautiful garden he helped plant. “That you’re happy and Bucky’s happy too.”

“Thank you, Peter,” Steve sighed, pulling the kid close and hugging him tightly. “You’re gonna do great things. I can’t wait to see them. He loved you, you know?”

There was no doubt who Steve was talking about. Peter’s eyes grew misty and he nodded, patting the hand Steve held to his face. “Yeah, I know. It…hurts sometimes but he’s not hurting now. And working with his dad…it somehow helped. You promise you’ll…look out for them? My parents?”

Steve smiled. “Of course. I don’t go back on a promise. It won’t affect your timeline, but…the one here? He’ll have an amazing life with his whole family.”

The hug meant everything to Peter. It was one last round of hugs and goodbyes between the hero and the found family. Howard even showed up to wave goodbye as Peter set the time into the watch and hit it.

And just like that, he was back in Tony’s old bedroom, kneeling on the floor, with his hands in a box. No time had passed. It was still evening, still Manhattan.

Yet, Peter felt changed somehow, almost older in spirit. He touched the watch and gently pulled it off to throw it inside, making good on that promise to destroy it. He touched his pocket where Steve had given him his compass.

To keep him on the right path, always make the right choice, even if it was the most difficult one.


End file.
